You're Hired
by Jack316
Summary: Haruka Tenoh applies for a position in Michiru Kaioh's heart. ONGOING
1. Chapter 1: Initial Interview

**You're Hired**

**Chapter 1**

**Author's Notes:** This is my third fanfiction and also my first non-parody fanfiction. It was supposed to be a one-shot fanfiction but I don't like proofreading lengthy word documents so I decided to split it into three chapters instead. The story for "You're Hired" was actually inspired by my job-hunting experience for the past few months. Have fun reading and don't forget to review! Thanks!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Haruka and Michiru of Sailor Moon, iPhone, and Temple Run. Some names mentioned in the story are entirely fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

* * *

"Put your hand on a hot stove for a minute, and it seems like an hour. Sit with a pretty girl for an hour, and it seems like a minute. THAT'S relativity." – Albert Einstein

* * *

"Please be seated first. We'll call your name."

The receptionist, a woman in her late 20s, points at the seats in the reception area. A tall handsome blonde woman, wearing a black suit and carrying a small brown leather briefcase, scans the reception area. She sees a beautiful woman with wavy aquamarine hair, who's wearing a white dress and white high heels, sitting on the second row of stainless steel seats in the reception area. The woman's hair is tied in a ponytail and has her legs crossed. Beside her is her black purse. The blonde woman decides to approach the aquamarine-haired woman.

"Is this seat taken?"

The aqua-haired woman turns her attention to the blonde woman. "No."

"Is it okay if I sit next to you?"

"Sure. Go ahead." The aqua-haired woman replies with a smile on her face. She gets her purse and puts it on her lap.

The blonde woman smiles back at the aqua-haired woman. "Thanks."

The blonde woman sits beside the aqua-haired woman. She puts down her briefcase. There is an awkward silence between the two women. The blonde woman decides to break the ice.

"So… what position are you applying for?"

The aqua-haired woman, once again, turns her attention to the blonde woman. "Call center agent. How about you?"

"Same. What's your name by the way?"

"Michiru. You?"

"Haruka."

"Nice to meet you, Haruka."

"Same here. Are you a fresh graduate, Michiru?"

"Yeah. How about you?"

"I could say that. But I graduated two years ago."

"Really? Having tough luck finding a job eh? What's your course?"

"Nursing."

"Interesting. I never knew men are interested in nursing."

"Actually… I'm a woman."

"Sorry."

"I get that a lot."

"But I admit, Haruka, you are good-looking."

Haruka chuckles. "Thanks. How about you Michiru, what's your course?"

"Fine Arts."

"What are you doing here in a call center? You're supposed to be drawing and stuff like that, right?"

"Well, my friends found their luck here and advised me to try my luck in the call center industry. They said the salary is really good. So here I am."

"Is this your first application?"

"Yes. I'm kinda nervous, honestly."

Michiru, out of the blue, grabs Haruka's left hand and holds it. Haruka blushes. She could feel the coldness in Michiru's hand.

"Whoa…"

"See?"

"What are you nervous about, Michiru?"

"Well, I'm nervous about the job interview. It's my first time, you know."

Haruka tightens her grip on Michiru's hand. Michiru could feel Haruka's warm hand. Haruka looks at Michiru straight in the eyes.

"Heh. Trust me. The more you apply, the more confident you become."

Michiru zones out thanks to Haruka's mesmerizing look. She sees imaginary rose petals falling on Haruka's background. Before she finds herself further allured by Haruka's charms, Michiru lets go of Haruka's hand.

"Oh… speaking of which, what are you doing here Haruka? Aren't you supposed to be working in a hospital?"

Haruka laughs. "That's what I thought too. But competition is rough in the nursing job. Almost everyone I know took up nursing. I'm thankful for jobs like these, actually."

"Are you a registered nurse?"

"Yeah. I got my license a year ago."

"How long have you been looking for a job?"

"For a year now, I guess?"

"I see…" Michiru nods. She touches Haruka's shoulder and smiles at Haruka. "Don't worry Haruka. It's never too late. You'll find a job eventually."

"Yeah I'm not giving up on that." Haruka smiles back at Michiru.

Michiru pats Haruka's shoulder. "Glad to hear that." She then removes her hand from Haruka's shoulder.

There is an awkward silence again between Haruka and Michiru. An HR recruiter, a woman with long black hair, wearing yellow T-shirt, jeans, and rubber shoes, and holding pieces of papers, arrives at the reception area.

"Michiru Kaioh, Kevin Delos Santos, and Margaret Ching, please come forward."

Michiru stands up and gets her purse.

"Haruka, I'll be back."

"Alright."

Haruka watches Michiru and two other applicants as they come forward and follow the HR recruiter. She gets her iPhone and plays Temple Run. Suddenly, another HR recruiter, a woman with long red hair tied in a ponytail, wearing a black dress and high heels, and holding pieces of papers, arrives at the reception area.

"Jacob Charles Cruz, Haruka Tenoh, and Claire Montalban, please come forward."

Haruka cancels her Temple Run game, stands up, puts her iPhone in her pocket, and grabs her briefcase. She comes forward with two other applicants and follows the HR recruiter to a room.

* * *

Haruka opens the door for the two other applicants and walks out of the room last. She walks on a hallway and into the reception area where she sees Michiru sitting on the front row. Michiru sees Haruka from afar and smiles at her. Haruka smiles back and sits beside Michiru.

"So, how did the interview go, Haruka?"

"Hmm… it was okay. How 'bout your interview? How did it go?"

"Well, at first, I was nervous but then the interviewer was very casual so I answered as naturally as possible."

Haruka smirks. "That's great. So you're not nervous anymore?"

"Yeah. I guess. Thanks to you."

Michiru's words hit Haruka's heart like Cupid's arrows. Haruka could feel her heart throb. However, she suppresses her emotions before it gets the best of her.

"Okay. Great to hear that. Keep it up!"

Haruka gives Michiru a thumbs up. Michiru smiles at Haruka. Haruka blushes and looks away. There is another awkward silence between the two. Haruka decides to get her iPhone and resumes her Temple Run game. Michiru decides to draw herself close to Haruka. Their arms and shoulders are now against each other.

Michiru takes a peek at Haruka's iPhone. "What's that game?"

"It's called Temple Run. Have you played this before?"

"No. I don't really play games…"

"You don't? Heh. You should try this."

Haruka pauses her game and hands her iPhone over to Michiru.

"Hey wait, Haruka… I don't know how to operate this thing."

"That is why I'm going to teach you. Hold that thing like this."

Haruka puts her iPhone in Michiru's hand. She demonstrates the gameplay while Michiru is holding the iPhone. Michiru watches Haruka's demonstration carefully.

"Michiru, your objective in this game is to get a high score. In order to get a high score, you have to collect coins and other power-ups while running away from those evil monkeys who are chasing your character. Make sure the character runs along the path and make sure to avoid obstacles such as the water, ledges, and even the branches and roots of trees. Also, the longer your character survives, the more points you get. Swipe the screen to the left to turn left and swipe the screen to the right to turn right. To jump, just swipe the screen upwards and to slide, just swipe the screen downwards. As simple as that."

"Okay. I'll try."

Haruka lets go of her iPhone and lets Michiru play Temple Run. Michiru plays the game and her character ends up falling on the water.

"Awww I'm dead."

"Heh. You can still try again."

Michiru tries again and plays. This time, she manages to get a score of 50,000.

"50,000 points. Not bad Michiru. I'll show you how to play."

Michiru hands over the iPhone to Haruka. Michiru watches Haruka play. She is wide-eyed at Haruka's gameplay. With Haruka playing, the Temple Run character flawlessly evades every twist and turns there is on the game, even at high speed. A few minutes later, the Temple Run character hits the root of a giant tree. Haruka scores around 3,000,000 points.

"Wow. You're really good at that huh, Haruka?"

"Well, I've been playing this for a long time so yeah…"

"What's your top score?"

"So far it's 27,000,000 points."

"No way! You're an addict."

Haruka smiles. "I'm not!"

Haruka and Michiru both laugh out loud.

The HR recruiter with long black hair, wearing yellow T-shirt, jeans, and rubber shoes, comes back to the reception area. She is holding pieces of folded papers. One by one, she announces the names of the applicants and hands them their papers.

"Michiru Kaioh."

Michiru stands up and gets the paper from the HR recruiter. Haruka keeps her iPhone in her pocket. Michiru goes back to her seat.

"What's this piece of paper, Haruka?"

"I think it's the results."

"Oh. Okay."

"Why don't you open it?"

"Not now. Let's open our papers together."

"Fine with me."

Seconds later, the HR recruiter with red hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a black dress, arrives at the reception area. She is also holding pieces of folded papers. One by one, she announces the names of the applicants and hands them their papers.

"Haruka Tenoh."

Haruka stands up and gets the paper from the HR recruiter. She goes back to her seat.

"Here it is, Michiru."

"Let's open our papers then."

Haruka and Michiru remove the staples from the paper they are holding. They unfold the papers and scan its contents. Both of them have a smile on their faces.

"So what did you get, Michiru?"

"I passed the first interview! How about you, Haruka?"

"I passed too."

"Congratulations!"

"Yeah, you too. Congrats!"

"I wonder what's next."

"The paper said wait for further announcements so I guess we have to stay here."

Haruka keeps her paper in her briefcase, gets her iPhone, and plays Temple Run. Michiru puts her paper in her purse and draws herself close to Haruka. This time, she leans on Haruka's shoulder. Haruka feels a jolt of energy flowing through her veins and blushes.

"I'm bored." Michiru says.

Haruka continues to play Temple Run.

"Haruka, do you have a girlfriend?"

Haruka is caught off-guard. Her Temple Run character bashes its head on a low-hanging branch. "I don't. Why do you ask?"

"Hmm… nothing. I'm really sorry to invade your privacy like that."

Haruka restarts her Temple Run game. "It's alright. How about you? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"I don't."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I'm still looking for that right person..."

"That makes sense."

Haruka cancels her Temple Run game and keeps her iPhone in her pocket. She slouches in the chair, crosses her arms, and leans her head on Michiru's head.

"I'm bored." Haruka says.

"Me too. I never thought job applications are boring."

"You better get used to it. This will be your life for the first few months of your unemployed life."

"Yeah I guess you're right."

Haruka and Michiru both close their eyes while leaning on each other.

"_We're strangers and yet… what is this familiar feeling?_" Haruka thinks to herself.

* * *

After a few minutes, another HR recruiter, who has a green bob-style hair and is wearing a pink dress, comes by and calls both Haruka and Michiru's name. The HR recruiter calls upon 10 other applicants as well. Haruka, Michiru, and the 10 other applicants come forward. They follow the HR recruiter to a room. The room is huge and it is filled with rows of computer workstations.

"Hey Haruka. Let's sit beside each other."

"Sure."

Michiru settles on a computer workstation at the middle of the fourth row of computer workstations. She puts her purse under the computer workstation and sits on a computer chair. Haruka chooses to sit at a computer workstation beside Michiru. She puts her briefcase under the computer workstation and sits on a computer chair. The HR recruiter distributes pieces of papers to each of the applicants.

"The first paper is the answer sheet and the second paper is the questionnaire. Kindly write all answers on the answer sheet. You may use the back portion of the answer sheet for computations. Do not write anything on the questionnaire. You have 15 minutes to finish the exam. You may begin answering. Good luck." The HR recruiter says.

Haruka taps Michiru's shoulder.

"Good luck Michiru."

"You too Haruka. Let's do our best!" Michiru winks at Haruka.

"Yeah." Haruka smiles.

Haruka and Michiru begin answering the exam papers. After 15 minutes, the HR recruiter collects the papers. Haruka stretches her arms and catches Michiru looking at her.

"What? Is there something weird on my face?"

"No."

Michiru giggles and blushes. Haruka just smirks. The HR recruiter distributes another piece of paper to the applicants.

"This is your application form. Kindly fill in the necessary details and make sure the information you write here are true and correct. After you've finished filling out the application form, you can leave this room and go on a lunch break. Just make sure to be back around 2PM for the examination results."

Haruka and Michiru start filling out their application forms.

* * *

Haruka finishes filling out her application form. She stands up and submits it to the HR recruiter, who's sitting at a desk in front of the computer workstations. She then goes back to her seat and grabs her briefcase.

"You're done already, Haruka?"

"Yeah."

"Wait for me."

"Sure."

* * *

Minutes later, Michiru finishes filling out her application form. She stands up and submits it to the HR recruiter. She grabs her purse and leaves the room together with Haruka.

"2PM right?" Michiru asks Haruka.

"Yeah. Let's have lunch first. I know a nearby mall here. It's just walking distance. Would you like to join me?" Haruka asks Michiru.

"I would love to." Michiru replies.

**To be continued… **


	2. Chapter 2: Lunch Break

**You're Hired**

**Chapter 2**

**Author's Notes: **Here's the second chapter! I want to say thank you to those who have added this story to their favorites and story alerts. I really appreciate the time you took to read this story and also to those who left a review, thank you very much. The story was supposed to be only 3 chapters long but I decided to extend it by 1 chapter after this chapter became too lengthy to proofread. With that said, have fun reading this chapter and don't forget to review. Thanks!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Haruka and Michiru of Sailor Moon, iPhone, and Temple Run.

* * *

"You and I can never do a kindness too soon, for we never know how soon it will be too late." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

* * *

Haruka and Michiru are seated at a table, facing each other, and are waiting for their orders to arrive. Haruka is playing Temple Run again on her iPhone while Michiru is just staring at Haruka.

"You really like Temple Run very much, don't you, Haruka?"

"Yeah. It's fun. Reminds me of my track and field days back in college."

"You're an athlete?"

"Yeah. I was actually a member of the track and field varsity team in college. I had to quit during my sophomore year to focus on my studies."

"Amazing-"

"Aww shit. Battery's drained." Haruka puts her iPhone on her pocket and looks straight into Michiru's eyes. "Sorry."

Michiru giggles. "It's alright. Uhmm… how old are you by the way Haruka?"

"I'm 22. You?"

"I'm also 22."

"Really? When's your birthday?"

"March 6. How 'bout you?"

"27th January. Wait, we're the same age but you only graduated recently?"

"Actually back in college, I experienced burnout. Took a little break to recharge my batteries."

"Burnout? Is Fine Arts that stressful?"

"Most of the time, it is."

"Why? What do you do in Fine Arts?"

"Mostly plates…"

"Plates? As in ceramic plates?"

"Not that plate, silly. Plates are… how should I explain this? They're like assigned artworks. For example, the teacher assigns each one in class to paint a tragic scenery using only primary colors… that painting is equivalent to one plate."

"Okay, I get it. But what's so stressful about a plate?"

"One plate is not stressful. 5-10 plates to be finished within 1 week? That's stressful. Back then, I had classes from Monday to Friday. The only time I got to work on those plates was during my breaks and during weekends."

"I can imagine the agony. How did you balance your schedule?"

"I'm not good at that so I pulled all-nighters. After finishing my plates, I look like a panda."

"Panda?" Haruka raises her eyebrow.

"When you don't sleep for days, you get dark circles around your eyes." Michiru draws imaginary circles on her eyes using her index fingers.

"Oh… Don't worry Michiru. Pandas are cute."

Haruka and Michiru laugh.

"But despite the stress, you enjoyed your course, didn't you, Michiru?"

"I did. But inevitably, I got burned out. I don't know. Maybe it's because I lacked sleep? Since then, I decided to take a break and take things slowly. I decided not to graduate on time."

"How long did you take a break?"

"2 semesters. After that, I went back to school. My classmates thought I went on a pregnancy leave."

"That's hilarious. You should've brought a baby and played a prank on them."

"I never thought of that, Haruka."

Haruka and Michiru laugh out loud.

"How 'bout you Haruka? What do you do in Nursing?"

"Well, if you have plates, then I got duties."

"Duties?"

"Duties are like shifts. It's like an on-the-job training for Nursing students. We go on shifts in hospitals and do things like monitoring patients' vital signs, giving patients their medicines, and lots of other stuff… basically tending to patients' needs and assisting in their recovery."

"Oh… that's cool. So you do shots too?"

"Yeah."

Michiru cringes. "Ouch."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of needles, Michiru?"

"Sort of. How is it giving patients a shot?"

"It's alright."

"You don't find it scary?"

"Why would I be scared? It's just a needle. Plus, our professors are very strict. They make sure that you do every procedure correctly and that you know what you're doing."

"You're so brave!"

Haruka smirks. "I guess I am. But that's nothing, really. It's part of the job."

"Tell me more interesting things about Nursing. What else did you experience?"

"Hmm… well, I've also experienced witnessing an actual childbirth. Wanna know what's surprising about childbirth?"

"What?"

"Besides giving birth to the baby, the pregnant woman also inevitably gives birth to another twin."

Michiru has a puzzled look on her face. "Another twin?"

Haruka laughs out loud. "That twin is… brown. Something you wouldn't want to mention while you're in a restaurant."

Michiru chuckles. "I get it. It's human excrement right?"

"Yeah."

"So things like that happen huh?"

"It's a fairly common occurrence, actually."

"I see…"

"Besides witnessing an actual childbirth, I also experienced witnessing an actual surgery."

"What kind?"

"The one where they remove a patient's gallbladder."

"Wow… Nursing seems adventurous."

"But it's not for the faint of heart. Wanna hear a funny story?"

"Sure."

"Well, there's this classmate of mine… he's a big guy, around 6 and a half feet tall… let's just call him Aaron…"

"What happened?"

"During our night duty, Aaron, me, and 2 other female classmates were assigned in the emergency room. A patient was rushed to the emergency room. The patient was a hit and run victim. His intestines were literally hanging out of his body but he's still alive. You know what happened to Aaron?"

"He vomited and afterwards, he fainted and landed straight on the pool of his own vomit!" Haruka laughs.

"Ewwwww…" Michiru has a disgusted look on her face. "Didn't you and the two others help him?"

"We did. But he was too heavy."

"What happened to Aaron next?"

"Well, the week after, he dropped all of his subjects and never showed up on class again. We were all surprised to hear that he shifted to another course. Maybe he figured out Nursing wasn't for him."

"Or maybe he had his reputation tarnished because of the vomiting incident…"

"That's possible, Michiru."

Haruka and Michiru laugh out loud.

"By the way, Haruka, why did you take up Nursing?"

"All of my friends took up Nursing. You could say I followed the crowd."

"If that was so, then what was your original dream job?"

"To be a race car driver. But then they don't offer courses like that…"

"Why didn't you take up mechanical engineering, industrial design, or something like that? It has something to do with cars and other machines right?"

Haruka chuckles. "No thanks. I'm not interested in creating machines. I just love driving, that's all."

"But you did enjoy Nursing right?"

"Yeah. When the patient says 'thank you for taking care of me', it makes my day. Enduring starvation, the call of nature, and lack of sleep is worth it because someone appreciates your hard work."

"It seems like your course is harder than mine."

"I don't know. It depends. If you're really passionate about something, you really wouldn't mind the hardships that come along with it, right?"

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

"How 'bout you Michiru, what's your dream job?"

"Me? I want to become a famous painter someday. Or if not, a violinist."

"You play the violin?"

"Yeah."

"Whoa. Not only are you pretty, you're also talented."

"Don't make me blush Haruka."

Haruka laughs. "But seriously Michiru, when you become famous, don't forget me, okay?"

Michiru giggles. "Of course. I could even hire you as my personal nurse, if you want."

Haruka smirks. "I wouldn't mind taking care of someone like you."

"And I can't imagine you in a nurse's outfit."

Haruka and Michiru laugh.

"You should've seen me during our duties, Michiru."

"Do you have a picture?"

"I have lots of pictures in my iPhone. Unfortunately, the battery's drained."

"That's because you're a Temple Run addict."

"I am not!"

Michiru chuckles. "Whatever you say, Haruka. By the way, our food is taking too long. What time is it?"

Haruka looks at her watch. "12:30PM."

"Oh it's still early."

"Yeah. So… what else do you want to know about me?"

"I don't know… tell me about your family."

"Hmm… my parents are awesome. They're very supportive of me actually. I'm really lucky to have them. I don't have any siblings but I do have plenty of cousins."

"I guess we're the same. I'm an only child too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. My parents married during their late 30s. My mom was around 40 years old when she gave birth to me. She said it was a difficult pregnancy but it was worth it."

"Parents and their unconditional love… I admire them for that."

Michiru sees the waiter approaching their table. "Oh here comes our food."

The waiter, a man in his early 30s with brown hair, wearing a red vest over a white long-sleeved button shirt, black slacks, and black leather shoes, arrives. He is carrying a huge tray with plates and bowls of food on it. He first serves one bowl of _Katsudon_ to Haruka and then serves one bowl of _Katsudon_ to Michiru.

The waiter grabs a plate of tuna _sashimi_ from the tray. "_Sashimi_?"

"That's mine." Haruka answers.

The waiter serves the plate of tuna _sashimi_ to Haruka.

The waiter grabs a plate of _futomaki_ from the tray. "_Futomaki_?"

"That's mine." Michiru answers.

The waiter serves the plate of _futomaki_ to Michiru.

"Waiter…"

The waiter turns his attention to Haruka. "Yes sir?"

"You forgot our drinks."

"Oh. Sorry sir. I'll be right back."

The waiter carries the now empty tray and walks away from Haruka and Michiru's table. Haruka notices Michiru giggling.

"What's so funny?"

"He called you 'sir'."

"Oh that… I'm used to that already."

Haruka and Michiru laugh.

"Hey Haruka…"

"What?"

"Can I have some of your _sashimi_? I'll let you have my _futomaki_."

"Why don't you order another plate of _sashimi_?"

"I don't wanna. It's too bothersome to wait."

"What if I said 'no'?"

"Eh… please?"

"No."

Michiru looks at Haruka with puppy dog eyes. "Pretty please?"

Haruka gives Michiru a teasing look and grins. "No."

"_Sashimi_'s my favorite so can I please have some?"

"No."

Michiru pouts her lips, rolls her eyes, and crosses her arms. "You're too greedy."

Haruka bursts into laughter. "You're so cute like that, Michiru. I was just kidding. Sure, you can have my _sashimi_."

Haruka gets her chopsticks. She gets some _sashimi_ from her plate of _sashimi_ and puts some of it, one by one, on Michiru's plate of _futomaki_.

"Thanks Haruka. I can't believe you had me beg for _sashimi_."

"And I can't believe you're fun to tease."

"You're evil!"

Haruka and Michiru laugh out loud.

The waiter, carrying a small tray with 2 glasses of red iced tea, arrives at Haruka and Michiru's table. He serves one glass of red iced tea to Haruka and serves one glass of red iced tea to Michiru next.

"Will there be anything else, sir, ma'am?

Haruka looks at Michiru. "You want to order some more?"

"No." Michiru replies.

Haruka turns her attention to the waiter. "No more, thanks."

"Alright. Thank you sir, ma'am. Enjoy your meal."

The waiter, carrying the now empty small tray, walks away. Haruka catches Michiru giggling again.

"What now Michiru?" Haruka raises her eyebrow.

"Sorry Haruka. You're way too handsome to be a girl." Michiru giggles even more. "By the way, here."

Michiru grabs her chopsticks. She gets some _futomaki_ from her plate of _futomaki_ and puts some of it, one by one, on Haruka's plate of _sashimi_.

"That's payback for the _sashimi_."

"Heh. Thanks." Haruka smiles at Michiru.

Michiru smiles back at Haruka. "Let's eat."

"_Itadakimasu!_" Haruka and Michiru say in unison.

They start eating.

* * *

Haruka and Michiru finish eating at the same time. Haruka notices a piece of rice on Michiru's cheek.

"Michiru…"

"What?"

"Don't move."

Haruka grabs a piece of tissue from the tissue paper holder and gets the rice off of Michiru's cheek. "There's rice on your cheek."

"Oh." Michiru laughs.

"Got it off." Haruka says.

Michiru smiles at Haruka. "Thanks."

Haruka chuckles and smiles back at Michiru.

"By the way, I've never tasted a _Katsudon_ this good before." Michiru says.

"_Katsudon_ is this restaurant's specialty."

"Really? No wonder it's so good!"

"Yep. This restaurant is actually my family's favorite. We dine here often."

"Thanks for bringing me here. I'll recommend this restaurant to my family. By the way, what time is it, Haruka?"

Haruka looks at her watch. "30 minutes to 2PM."

"Oh. Okay."

"Let's go?"

"Sure."

Haruka raises her hand to catch the attention of the waiter. The waiter notices Haruka and approaches her.

"Yes sir?"

Haruka draws an imaginary rectangle using her index fingers and thumbs. "Bill."

The waiter nods and gets a black medium-size leather bill holder from the cashier. He approaches Haruka and Michiru's table and gives the bill holder to Haruka. Haruka opens the bill holder and sees a piece of white paper with the computer-printed breakdown of their orders, the corresponding price of each order, and the total amount to be paid. She puts the bill holder on the table and gets her wallet from her briefcase. Michiru gets the bill holder and reads the contents of the piece of paper in it. She puts the bill holder on the table and gets her wallet from her purse. Haruka and Michiru get some money from their wallets.

"Michiru, I'll take care of this."

Haruka leaves money on the bill holder.

"Wait Haruka, are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yeah. It's not often that I get to dine out with a pretty girl like you."

Michiru giggles. "If you say so… thanks." She puts her money back on her wallet and closes her purse. She then looks at Haruka and raises her eyebrow. "Really huh? You rarely get on a date with pretty girls. With your looks, I bet girls would be willing enough to be your girlfriend."

Haruka chuckles. "If they dare to. I don't bite."

Haruka raises her hand again to catch the attention of the waiter. The waiter approaches Haruka and Michiru's table.

"Keep the change." Haruka says to the waiter.

"Thanks sir!" The waiter says.

Michiru giggles. Haruka shakes her head. The waiter gets the bill holder with money on it and walks away. Haruka and Michiru stand up, get their briefcase and purse, respectively, and leave the restaurant.

* * *

The call center is right across the street. The pedestrian stoplight turns green. Haruka and Michiru start crossing the street using the pedestrian lane. Midway, Michiru draws herself close to Haruka and clings to Haruka's arm. Haruka blushes. They continue walking arm in arm until they reach the call center.

**To be continued…**


	3. Chapter 3: Final Interview

**You're Hired**

**Chapter 3**

**Author's Notes:** Third chapter here. This is actually the second to the last chapter of this story. Thank you for the positive reviews so far and to those who have followed this story and added this story to their favorites, thank you! Have fun reading and don't forget to review.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Haruka and Michiru of Sailor Moon.

* * *

"Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death." – James F. Byrnes

* * *

In the reception area, Haruka and Michiru are sitting in the front row of the stainless steel chairs, waiting for the results of the examination.

"If we both get hired, then we wouldn't have any problems because we already know each other." Haruka says.

"Yeah, I guess that's convenient. But what if only one of us gets hired?" Michiru asks.

"What are you saying Michiru? Of course if we do our best then both of us will get hired."

"Well, I hope so. Let's do our best!"

The HR recruiter with green bob-style hair arrives at the reception area. One by one, she announces the names of the applicants who previously took the exam.

"Michiru Kaioh."

Michiru stands up and approaches the HR recruiter. The HR recruiter hands Michiru a folded piece of paper. Michiru gets the paper and goes back to her seat.

"Haruka Tenoh."

Haruka stands up and approaches the HR recruiter. The HR recruiter hands Haruka a folded piece of paper. Haruka gets the paper and goes back to her seat. Haruka and Michiru look at each other and remove the staples from their papers. They unfold the papers at the same time and scan their papers' contents.

"What did you get?" Michiru asks Haruka.

Haruka has a big smile on her face. "I made it to the final interview. How 'bout you?"

"I made it too!"

"Congrats!"

Michiru smiles. "Thanks. I can't believe we're a step closer to being hired."

Haruka smiles back at Michiru and gives her a thumbs up. "Let's do our best so we'll make it through the end."

Michiru nods. "Right."

* * *

An HR recruiter with blue medium-length hair, wearing corporate clothes, and holding pieces of papers, arrives at the reception area.

"Michiru Kaioh."

Michiru stands up and gets her purse. Haruka holds Michiru's wrist. Michiru turns her head to Haruka.

"Good luck Michiru."

"Thanks."

Michiru smiles at Haruka. Haruka smiles back at Michiru and lets go of Michiru's wrist. Michiru comes forward and follows the HR recruiter to a room. A few minutes later, another HR recruiter comes by. The HR recruiter has a brown medium-length hair tied in a ponytail, is wearing black-rimmed glasses and corporate clothes, and is holding pieces of papers.

"Haruka Tenoh."

Haruka stands up and gets her briefcase. She comes forward and follows the HR recruiter to a room.

* * *

Haruka comes out of the room and walks in a hallway that leads to the reception area. She sees Michiru from afar, sitting in the front row of seats in the reception area. Haruka approaches Michiru and sits beside her.

"So, how did everything go, Michiru?"

"I don't know. I was so nervous during the final interview that I blanked out. How about you?"

"I'm okay. I just don't know how things will turn out. I feel like I'm not cut for this job."

"Me too. I don't think I could take their shifting schedules."

"Yeah. Tell me about it. I told the HR recruiter that I'm not willing to work on weekends because I race during the weekends. You wanna know what she said to me?"

"What?"

Haruka clears her throat and speaks in a girlish voice. "You can't choose your own schedule."

Haruka and Michiru laugh.

Michiru slaps Haruka's shoulder. "You're too loud Haruka! She might hear you."

"Heh. I'm not afraid of her. But well, let's hope for the best."

"You're right. By the way, what are you going to do after this job application?"

"Go home. Relax… why? You wanna hang out with me after this?"

"Yes, no, I mean… what are you going to do right after you find out the results of this job application?"

"Oh. Hmm… if I get hired, I'll tell my folks the good news and hopefully get the needed documents for employment ready. If not, I'll still go on a job-hunting adventure. If that doesn't work, I'll commit myself 100% to racing. How 'bout you, Michiru?"

"Well, if I get hired, then that's great. If not, life goes on. I could apply for jobs related to my course or I could focus more on painting or music."

"We have plenty of options. I agree."

"Who knows? Maybe we could become famous someday. You – a famous racer. Me – a famous painter or violinist."

"If I become famous, you're going to have a lot of competitors."

"Competitors?"

"Girls are going to compete for a place in my heart."

Michiru giggles. "I'm pretty confident that I stand out amongst the crowd."

Haruka smirks. "We'd make a power couple, don't you think?"

Michiru giggles once more. She blushes upon the thought of her and Haruka being a couple. "Yeah. A hot power couple."

Haruka and Michiru laugh.

* * *

A few minutes later, the HR recruiter with blue hair arrives at the reception area and hands a folded piece of paper to Michiru. Michiru gets the paper. The HR recruiter walks away and leaves. Seconds later, the HR recruiter with brown hair tied in a ponytail and glasses arrives at the reception area and hands a folded piece of paper to Haruka. Haruka gets the paper. The HR recruiter walks away and leaves. Haruka and Michiru look at each other.

"This is the moment of truth." Michiru says.

Haruka nods. "I know."

Haruka and Michiru begin removing the staples from the folded paper. They unfold their papers and read its contents.

"What did you get?" Haruka asks.

Michiru sighs. "I didn't get the job."

"Really? Me too."

"Let me see!"

Haruka and Michiru exchange their papers. They read the contents of each other's papers.

"It looks like we both have to improve on our staying power and motivation." Michiru says.

Haruka smiles and shakes her head. "Yeah. I can't believe we both got this result. And you, Michiru, have to improve on your confidence."

Haruka and Michiru laugh. They exchange papers once again. Michiru puts her paper in her purse while Haruka puts her paper in her suit's jacket.

Michiru sighs. "I guess this is goodbye, Haruka."

Michiru, with a sad look on her face, stands up and puts her purse on her shoulder.

Haruka grabs Michiru's hand. "Wait… I…"

Michiru turns her attention to Haruka. She tightens her grip on Haruka's hand. "What?"

Haruka and Michiru stare at each other for a few seconds.

"I-I… Never mind. Goodbye Michiru." Haruka, with a sad look on her face, slowly loosens her grip on Michiru's hand and lets go of it.

"Goodbye Haruka. It was nice meeting you. I hope we can see each other again somewhere." Michiru says with a smile on her face.

Haruka smiles back at Michiru. They stare at each other for a minute. Both Haruka and Michiru feel something heavy on their chests. Michiru turns her back on Haruka, takes a deep breath, and walks away. Haruka's heart is being ripped into pieces as she watches Michiru exit the call center.

* * *

Meanwhile, mini-Harukas pop out of nowhere. One mini-Haruka, wearing a red suit, sits on Haruka's left shoulder, while another mini-Haruka, with long blonde hair, wearing an elegant white gown, sits on Haruka's right shoulder.

"Haruka, Haruka, Haruka. The opportunity is right in front of you! She obviously likes you and you obviously like her. If I were you, I would stop her right now and tell her how I feel!" Red mini-Haruka says with a Boston accent.

"Don't listen to her Haruka! You still have no job. How will you be able to finance your dates? You can't rely on your parents forever. Pursue her when you're already a something!" White mini-Haruka says with a British accent.

"Look Haruka. I'll take care of Miss Goody Two-Shoes here for you. Listen to me. Opportunity only comes once so go. Chase her! If not, you'll regret this for the rest of your life." Red mini-Haruka then turns her attention to white mini-Haruka. She approaches white mini-Haruka like a predator stalking its prey.

"Wait Red, what are you doing?!" White mini-Haruka is all wide-eyed. She slowly backs away from red mini-Haruka and runs away.

Red mini-Haruka chases white mini-Haruka and catches up with her pace. She then grabs white mini-Haruka's gown and chokeholds white mini-Haruka. White mini-Haruka taps out and faints.

Red mini-Haruka turns her attention to Haruka. "Go now Haruka!"

Red mini-Haruka and white mini-Haruka disappear.

"_That was weird_." Haruka thought.

Haruka stands up, grabs her briefcase, and quickly runs to the exit door.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Additional Author's Notes:** Red mini-Haruka and white mini-Haruka symbolize Haruka's feelings and logic, respectively. Her feelings dictate that she should gather up courage and chase after Michiru while there's still time. Her logic, on the other hand, dictates that it's better to chase after Michiru when Haruka is already successful in life.


	4. Chapter 4: You're Hired

**You're Hired**

**Chapter 4**

**Author's Notes:** My apologies for almost 2 months of not updating. Schedule's been hectic lately so I rarely have the free time to write. Chapter 4 is supposed to be the last chapter but I decided to extend it again by one chapter after this chapter became too lengthy to proofread. With that said, hope you have fun reading and stay tuned for the fifth and final chapter of "You're Hired". Thanks!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Haruka and Michiru of Sailor Moon and the lyrics of the song "No Surrender" by Taproot.

**Warning:** Some mild diabetes-inducing scenes ahead. Get your insulin shots ready!

* * *

"If you want good luck; you must go out there and search for that luck! Because luck is waiting for you to look for it." – Temitope Owosela

* * *

Haruka heads outside the door as fast as she can. She unclips the visitor's pass ID from her suit's jacket and surrenders it to the security guard, a 6-foot tall man in his early 30s, in exchange of her ID card.

"Sir, have you seen a girl here with aquamarine hair?" Haruka asks the security guard.

"I did. She went that way." The security guard points to his right.

Haruka nods. "Thanks."

Haruka turns to the direction the security guard pointed and rushes on her feet.

_On your feet (rush rush) to the street (rush)__  
__Face defeat as if no one makes it out alive still try__  
__Flee the scene (hush hush) be discreet (hush)__  
__Go unseen unlike every breath you take can be as the clerk said passing by__  
__Like a dream (such) nothing's what it seems (much)__  
__Just deceit as if time could stop your stride now free outside__  
__To the beat (pump) skipping every speed (bump)__  
__There's no leaves, but if the walls you left behind could talk they'd probably only cry_

Upon reaching a street corner, Haruka stops. Sweat trickles down her forehead and her hair is now unkempt from running. She turns her head to her left. No sign of Michiru. She looks ahead of her. Again, no sign of Michiru. She then looks to her right and sees a glimpse of Michiru, who is around 10 meters away from her. Michiru is sitting on a bench, at a bus stop right across a street on Haruka's right side. Michiru is not alone at the bus stop. An old lady, an old man, and a woman in her 30s carrying a 3-month old infant in her arms, are sitting beside Michiru. Michiru's attention is fixated on a green air-conditioned bus that's approaching the bus stop. Haruka turns right and quickly runs towards Michiru's direction. As the bus was fast approaching the bus stop, Michiru stands up, puts her purse on her shoulder and gets ready to board the bus. Haruka finally reaches the pedestrian lane. She is about to cross the pedestrian lane when suddenly, the pedestrian stop light turns red.

"_Shit. Shit. Shit!_" Haruka curses under her breath. Her heart beats faster than usual and she fidgets.

The bus finally pulls over the bus stop and gets in between Haruka and Michiru's sight. Desperate to stop Michiru from boarding the bus, Haruka tries out her last resort.

"MICHIRU!" Haruka screams at the top of her lungs.

_These are the days you can't forget__  
__These are the times you can't regret__  
__This is your time for no surrender, surrender__  
__This is your chance to do or die__  
__This is your path so run or hide__  
__This is your time for no surrender, surrender_

Michiru lets the other passengers board ahead of her and goes back to sit on the bench. Seconds later, the bus's door closes and the bus leaves the bus stop. Michiru stands up and sees Haruka across the street with downcast eyes and a noticeable frown.

Michiru screams at the top of her lungs to get Haruka's attention. "HARUKA!"

Haruka turns her eyes from the pavement to the bus stop. She sees Michiru, right across the street, waving at her. Haruka's eyes widen and her frown turns into a smile that reaches her ears. Haruka waits for the pedestrian stop light to turn green. She then looks to her left and then to her right, and crosses the pedestrian lane as quickly as she can. After crossing the pedestrian lane, Haruka approaches Michiru.

"Haruka… what's wrong?" Michiru says.

Haruka tries hard to catch her breath. Her heart is beating fast. She stares right into Michiru's eyes and grabs Michiru's hand.

"Michiru… I-I…" Haruka stutters while trying her best to catch her breath.

Michiru raises her eyebrow. "What?"

"I would like to apply for a position in your heart."

Michiru is wide-eyed. She bursts into laughter.

Haruka raises her eyebrow. "What? What's so funny? I'm being serious here. Michiru, I've NEVER opened up to a complete stranger before. You're a special case."

Michiru pauses for a while and stares right into Haruka's eyes. "Haruka, I'm glad you came all the way here. I thought I would never see you again. Quite frankly, I felt the same way about you too. When I'm around you, there's this sense of familiarity I feel… it's as if we've known each other for so long…" Michiru tightens her grip on Haruka's hand.

"Does that mean I'm hired?"

Michiru chuckles and lets go of Haruka's hand. "Not yet. You still have an interview."

"Interview?" Haruka smirks. "Alright. Ask away."

"Follow me this way." Michiru approaches the bench on the bus stop. "Let's have a seat first."

Both Haruka and Michiru sit down the bench.

"First question. Haruka, are you willing to work 24/7 for our relationship?"

"Yes. Definitely."

"Why should I hire you?"

"That's a nice question. You see, when I love someone, I love them with all my heart, mind, and soul. I'm also a good kisser and I can show you what I'm made of… in bed. Also, in case you get sick, I guarantee you, I WILL take care of you. I'm a nurse after all. I'm pretty sure I'm someone you're looking for."

Michiru giggles and blushes at the same time. "What if you discover something about me that you don't like? What would you do?"

"Is there something about you not worth liking?" Haruka raises her eyebrow.

"I don't know… but for example, let's say I have bad breath, would you stop loving me?"

Haruka smiles. "Look, I love you as you are and if bad breath is a part of you, I'll accept it and I'll even buy you lots of oral hygiene products."

Haruka and Michiru burst into laughter.

"In case you don't get hired, what are your plans?"

"I'll bother you until you hire me. Like they say, 'try and try until you succeed'. Are you telling me, you're hard to get, Michiru?"

"If you want me to play hard to get, then I will." Michiru winks at Haruka. "Last question. How long would you expect us to last as a couple?"

"Forever."

Michiru chuckles and hugs Haruka. Haruka, in turn, wraps her arms around Michiru. Their cheeks suddenly turn pink from their first intimate contact.

"Congratulations, Haruka. You're hired!"

"Where's my kiss?"

"Not so fast. This hug is your initial salary. I'll give you a raise depending on your performance."

Haruka smirks. "Heh. I'll work hard for that."

Michiru releases Haruka from the hug. She opens her purse, grabs a white silk folded handkerchief from it, and gently wipes the sweat off Haruka's forehead.

"Michiru, you don't have to..."

"It's alright, silly. You troubled yourself coming all the way here. It's the least I can do for you." Michiru continues to wipe Haruka's forehead.

Haruka smirks. "Thanks. By the way, are you going home on your own?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Wanna cruise the city on my car? I'll give you a ride home too."

"Sure. I would love to."

Michiru finishes wiping the sweat off of Haruka's forehead. She opens her purse and puts the handkerchief on her purse. Haruka stands up offers her arm to Michiru. Michiru stands up and clings on to Haruka's arm. They walk arm-in-arm until they reach the parking lot where Haruka's car is.

"Michiru…"

"What?"

Haruka looks at Michiru and smiles at her. "I'm really glad I met you."

Michiru smiles back at Haruka. "I'm glad I was able to meet you too, Haruka. You know, at first, I was hesitant to apply for the job because it wasn't my thing. But you know, I never regret applying as a call center agent. Who would've thought that I'd meet you there?"

"Clearly, there's a purpose for everything huh?"

"Yeah. We may never have gotten that job, but we got each other instead."

"Destiny. It's a clever matchmaker."

"You got that right. By the way, where's your car?"

"There." Haruka points to a yellow convertible sports car, 2 meters away from her and Michiru.

"That looks like an expensive car."

"That's my graduation gift from my parents."

"You're spoiled, aren't you, Haruka?"

"I'm not! My parents just love me very much."

Haruka and Michiru laugh out loud. They approach the yellow convertible sports car. Michiru lets go of Haruka's arm. Haruka grabs her keys from her pocket and unlocks her car's doors using a small remote control. She opens the front passenger seat door for Michiru. Michiru hops in the car and closes the car's door. Haruka opens the driver seat door, hops in the car, puts her briefcase on the backseat, and shuts the car's door. She then puts the key to the ignition and starts the car. The car speeds away, and exits the parking lot.

**To be continued…**


	5. Chapter 5: Raise & A Promotion Prospect

**You're Hired**

**Chapter 5**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Haruka and Michiru of Sailor Moon and the lyrics of the song "I Can't Wait" by Celldweller.

**Warning:** Some mild diabetes-inducing scenes ahead. Get your insulin shots ready!

* * *

"Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. **Try again**. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it." – Oprah Winfrey

* * *

The sun is going down. Shades of crimson are painted against the sky. Haruka parks her car at a hill that's overlooking the city. She then looks at Michiru who's wearing a blindfold. "Michiru, right now, I have nothing grand to offer. As you know, I've yet to find a job. But I hope you appreciate this gift I'm going to give you."

Haruka presses a button on her steering wheel. The roof of her sports car retracts. "You can now remove your blindfold."

Michiru removes her blindfold, exposing a full view of the city right before her eyes.

"Michiru, the city is yours." Haruka says.

Michiru is wide-eyed at the scenery right in front of her. "Wow… It's beautiful, Haruka. I've never seen anything like this before."

Haruka removes her keys from the ignition and turns her attention to Michiru. "You know, you can get a better view if we get out of the car."

Michiru nods. Haruka hops out of the car, opens the door for Michiru, and offers Michiru her hand. Michiru holds Haruka's hand, gets out of the car, and shuts the car door. Haruka and Michiru, while holding hands, approach the railings. Together, they watch the sun descend on the horizon.

Michiru draws herself closer to Haruka and leans on Haruka's shoulder. "Haruka, thank you very much. You've made me really happy today."

"It's nothing, really." Haruka replies.

"I want to return the favor to you. Hold on a sec." Michiru removes her head from Haruka's shoulder and lets go of Haruka's hand. She gets the blindfold from Haruka's car and puts it on Haruka.

"What's this about, Michiru?"

"It's a surprise."

"Don't tell me you're going to push me off the hill and steal my car?"

"Maybe." Michiru chuckles.

Haruka smirks.

Michiru holds both Haruka's hands and faces Haruka. "Okay Haruka. Are you ready? I want you to stand still. Don't worry, I'm not gonna push you off the hill."

"Alright, I trust you." Haruka stands still.

Michiru looks at Haruka, who is blindfolded. She then wraps her arms around Haruka's shoulders, tiptoes a little, and presses her lips against Haruka's lips. Haruka feels the warmth of Michiru's soft lips against her lips and gives in. She wraps her arms around Michiru's waist and savors the moment. Seconds later, Michiru pulls away from Haruka's lips and removes her arms from Haruka's shoulders.

Haruka lets go of Michiru's waist and removes the blindfold. "I thought you wanted to take things slowly?"

"Well, you're extra productive today so I decided to give you a raise. Who knows, you might be up for promotion."

Haruka smirks. "Promotion… when are you planning to give me that?"

Michiru gives Haruka a teasing look. "Not now."

* * *

The buildings and skyscrapers are glowing against the cloudless night sky that's illuminated by the stars and the crescent white moon. Haruka and Michiru enjoy beholding the city scenery right in front of them while holding hands. All of a sudden, Haruka's stomach growls. Michiru giggles upon hearing the funny noise from Haruka's stomach.

"Michiru, what now?" Haruka rolls her eyes.

"You know what? I know a really nice restaurant in the city. My treat."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Of course."

"Well, if you insist. Let's go."

Haruka hurries up and opens the car's door for Michiru. Michiru hops in the car and closes the door. Meanwhile, Haruka hops into the driver's seat and shuts the car door. She puts the keys in the ignition and starts the car. The car speeds away, travelling from the hill to the city.

* * *

At a restaurant, Haruka and Michiru are seated at a table, facing each other. Michiru watches Haruka eat. Haruka eats as if she hadn't eaten food in days. She notices Michiru watching her. Michiru looks away and giggles.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" Haruka says to Michiru.

"Hmm… yeah I will… in a while. It's actually fun to watch you eat." Michiru giggles even more.

Haruka shakes her head and smiles. "You're too obsessed with me, Michiru."

"I'm not."

"Yeah right." Haruka cuts a little piece of steak, gets the cut piece of steak using the fork, and puts it in front of Michiru's face. "Say ah."

Michiru opens her mouth and bites the steak off of Haruka's fork.

"Good, right?" Haruka says.

Michiru chews the steak slowly and swallows it. She then grabs her glass of iced tea and drinks iced tea. "Yeah. It's very good. By the way, Haruka, do you happen to play any musical instrument?"

"Back in high school, yes."

"What kind?"

"Piano."

"Oh… that's nice. You know, I have an idea."

"What?"

"While we're still unemployed, why don't we do gigs? I have a friend who owns a resto-bar. I'm sure she can accommodate us."

"Hmm… that's a great idea but I haven't played the piano in years."

Michiru squeezes Haruka's hands. "It's never too late to start again."

Haruka blushes. "Uh… yeah... right. I'll practice again on my free time."

"You got plans for tomorrow?"

"I don't. Why do you ask?"

"Let's jam. Your house or my house?"

Haruka takes a big gulp. "M-m-my parents are away tomorrow until Saturday so I have the whole house to myself."

"Oh good. Perfect timing. Let's jam tomorrow at your house then. I'll bring my violin and I hope you have your piano ready."

Haruka smiles from ear to ear. Perverted thoughts run through her head. "_Promotion… here I come._"

"Why are you smiling like that?" Michiru raises her eyebrow.

"I-uh… it's nothing. Thanks for today, Michiru."

"No. Thank YOU, Haruka."

Haruka smirks. "What time are we going to meet tomorrow?"

"The earlier, the better." Michiru replies.

"How's 9AM?"

"Fine with me. Let's meet at Jack's Sushi Corner."

"Alright. I'll pick you up tomorrow at Jack's Sushi Corner, 9 o'clock-"

"SHARP. I don't like waiting, Haruka." Michiru gives Haruka a seductive look.

Haruka gulps. "Neither do I."

Haruka and Michiru stare at each other. Their eyes are burning with desires for each other.

_This flame is coalescing__  
__This fire's burning bright__  
__I know I'll get burned but it's alright__  
__(Waiting anxiously)__It's too late to change direction__  
__I'm fixed on her in my mind__  
__Trade sense for sensation this time__  
__(Takes control of me)__I can't wait_

_I want to be with you right now anyway__  
__Reckless, so what? I can't wait to be around you_

_Take me, break me, right now - Why wait 'til "hell to pay"?__  
__So dumb, so what? I can't wait to be around you_

_I can't wait to be around you__  
_

Out of the blue, a beeping sound coming from Michiru's purse interrupts Haruka and Michiru's dirty thoughts about each other.

"Hold on a sec, Haruka." Michiru quickly identifies the source of the sound – her cellphone. She gets her cellphone from her purse and sees "1 message received" flashed on her cellphone's screen. She opens the message and sees that the message was from someone named Setsuna M.

_Setsuna M: Michiru, I heard you flunk the final interview. What happened? You were so close! We need to talk one of these days. Anyway, in case you're interested to apply again, come back next month. I'll be waiting for you._

Michiru presses buttons on her phone and replies to Setsuna.

_Michiru K: Yeah I know Setsuna. I got nervous, sorry. I'll see if I could try again. Thank you for your concern. _

Michiru's phone beeps again. She receives another message from Setsuna.

_Setsuna M: Okay. If you need any tips on how to answer the interview questions, I'm just a phone call away. And if you can bring friends the next time you come back, then that would be great. _

Michiru replies to Setsuna once more.

_Michiru K: Thanks Setsuna. I'll do that. _

Michiru's phone beeps once again and receives another text message from Setsuna.

_Setsuna M: Okay. _

Michiru puts her cellphone back in her purse.

"Who was that?" Haruka asks Michiru.

"My friend. She texted me. She said that in case I'm interested to apply at the call center again, I can still try again next month." Michiru replies.

"Oh. Okay." An awkward silence surrounds Haruka and Michiru. Suddenly, Haruka is struck with an idea. "Wanna try applying again?"

"I don't know. How about you?"

"I'm going to give it a second shot. Opportunities like these come only once so we have to grab it while we can."

Michiru chuckles. "Okay then. Let's apply again next month. Who knows, we might find luck the second time around. You know what Haruka?"

"What?"

"I've realized something."

"What?"

"We've been together for a day now but you haven't given me your number. How are we going to meet each other tomorrow if we don't have any means of communication?"

"Oh. Okay. Give me your phone."

Michiru gets her phone from her purse and hands it over to Haruka. Haruka enters her number on Michiru's phone and afterwards, returns the phone to Michiru. "Save that."

Michiru has a big smile on her face upon seeing Haruka's name flashed on the screen. "Okay." Michiru chuckles. She presses "save" on her phone and adds Haruka to her list of contacts. After that, Michiru puts her cellphone back in her purse.

"Michiru?"

"What?"

"You have to give me your number too."

"Alright. Wait." Michiru gets her wallet out of her purse. She opens her wallet and gets a business card out of it. She hands the business card over to Haruka. "Here."

Michiru keeps her wallet in her purse. Haruka takes a good look at Michiru's business card. Michiru's business card has a texture similar to watercolor paper. Its front page consists of Michiru's name (Michiru Kaioh) and a digitally-printed pencil sketch portrait of Michiru while the back page consists of Michiru's contact details – her mobile phone number and her e-mail address. Deep inside, Haruka is impressed with Michiru's business card though it doesn't show in her face. "Nice card. Very creative. You made this yourself?"

"Only the design. I had the card printed at some printer."

Haruka keeps Michiru's card in her suit's jacket and looks at Michiru. "You know what? You have an awesome talent. If I had talent just like yours, then I'd put up my own business."

"You think so?"

"Yeah."

"Never thought about that. That's a good idea actually." Michiru stares at the ceiling while nodding. There's another awkward silence between her and Haruka. Suddenly, idea strikes Michiru. "Haruka, let's be business partners."

"What kind of business do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking of doing paintings and illustrations. You can help me market my services."

"That's a great idea Michiru. Come to think of it, I have lots of friends who I can market your services to. If I could show them your works, then maybe they'd be interested."

"Sure thing. I'll show you my sample works tomorrow. By the way, where are we going to get our capital?"

"Well, easiest way is to beg money from our parents but I don't want to do that. It'd be better if we can get a job first and then let's save money for our business." Haruka puts her hands over Michiru's hands and looks at Michiru with a determined look on her face. "Let's build our future together."

"You sound like a bank commercial." Michiru giggles.

Haruka raises her eyebrow. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. You seem motivated today. Keep that up and I'll give you a promotion." Michiru winks at Haruka.

"Really?" Haruka gives Michiru a teasing look and squeezes Michiru's hands tight. "I'll wait for that."

_I can't wait_

_I want to be with you right now anyway__  
__Reckless, so what? I can't wait to be around you_

_Take me, break me, right now - Why wait 'til "hell to pay"?__  
__So dumb, so what? I can't wait to be around you_

_I can't wait to be around you_

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Surprise, surprise! "You're Hired" is again extended! I don't know why but this story seems to have a life of its own. Stay tuned for the next chapter, everyone. Reviews/constructive criticisms are always welcome. Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6: Rescheduled Meeting

**You're Hired**

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Haruka and Michiru of Sailor Moon, Frisbee, and Mass Effect.

* * *

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face." – Mike Tyson

* * *

Haruka, wearing a blue long-sleeved button shirt, gray pants, and black leather shoes, has her hands on the steering wheel. Her eyes are bloodshot and she has dark circles around her eyes. Her head is also a bit cloudy from sleeping too little the night before. Clearly, her excitement for meeting up with Michiru again kept her awake the whole night. For 20 minutes now, Haruka's car, as well as the other cars ahead of her car, has been stationary. Haruka looks at the digital clock of her car and sees that it's already 45 minutes past 8AM. "_Shit! I should have left earlier._" She lets out a sigh of frustration and presses her forehead against the steering wheel. "_I'd better have a good excuse for this…_"

* * *

Haruka parks her car at the 4th floor parking lot of a huge department store. She grabs her gray jacket from the backseat, puts it on, and steps out of her car. She closes her car's door, takes a look at her watch, and sees that it's already 9:45AM. She then reaches down her right pocket and gets her phone. She swipes open the screen of her phone and sees no messages or missed calls from Michiru yet. Haruka puts back her phone on her right pocket and reaches for her car's remote control on the same pocket. Once the remote control was out of her pocket, she presses a button on the remote control which automatically locked the doors of her yellow convertible sports car. One by one, she checks the doors of her car. The doors won't open – a sign that it's locked and secured. Haruka keeps the remote control on her right pocket and walks to a nearby elevator. She steps inside the elevator and presses a button that takes her to the ground floor of the parking lot.

* * *

Haruka runs like the wind at the city sidewalks. Meanwhile, a beautiful woman in her early 20s with long red hair, wearing a yellow dress, walks out of a grocery store. She is carrying a huge paper bag filled with various grocery items. All of a sudden, Haruka bumps onto the woman. The woman loses grip of her paper bag and lands on her butt. The paper bag lands on the concrete pavement. Its contents are scattered on the ground. Haruka loses her balance and lands on top of the woman. The woman blushes as she realizes the awkward position she and Haruka are in.

Haruka, also blushing in deep red, quickly gets off the woman. "Sorry Miss…" She wipes the dust off her shirt and off the woman's dress as well. Haruka then offers her hand to the woman. The woman holds her hand and blushes further.

Haruka looks at the woman straight in the eyes. "It's completely my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going. Next time I'll be more careful. Beautiful women like you don't deserve to be hurt like this."

The woman is completely mesmerized by Haruka's charms that she is rendered completely speechless. Haruka pulls the woman up to make a stand and helps her pick up the scattered grocery items on the concrete pavement.

However, Haruka notices that the paper bag is torn apart. "Oh my…" She turns her attention to the woman. "Uh… just wait here. I'll go get another bag from the store."

The woman nods. Haruka goes inside the grocery store. A few minutes later, she goes out of the grocery store carrying a huge canvas bag. The woman is standing by and waiting for her.

"Here it is. This one's better than the paper bag." Haruka transfers the contents of the paper bag to the canvas bag and afterwards, hands the canvas bag filled with grocery items over to the woman.

"Thank you." The woman gets the canvas bag from Haruka.

Haruka smiles at the woman. "You're welcome." She then checks her watch. Her eyes widen upon seeing that it's already 10AM. "_Crap! Michiru's gonna kill me._" Haruka turns her attention to the woman. "Gotta run. I'm late for my appointment. See ya!" She runs off and disappears.

The woman sighs as she watched Haruka disappear. "_I didn't even have the chance to get his name…_"

* * *

Haruka arrives outside Jack's Sushi Corner. She looks at her watch and sees that it's already 10:10AM. Haruka takes a deep breath and prepares herself for whatever Michiru's reaction will be because of her tardiness. Her forehead is trickling with sweat and her heart is beating fast. She gets a folded blue handkerchief from her left pocket and wipes the sweat off of her forehead using it. Afterwards, she keeps her handkerchief in her left pocket, pushes open the door of the restaurant, and walks inside the restaurant. She takes a look around the whole place and sees no sign of Michiru.

Haruka sighs. "_Michiru must have left already…_" She sees an empty table by the window and sits there. She reaches for her phone on her right pocket and gets her phone out of her pocket. She presses the home button of her phone and slides the screen of her phone open. She skims through her contacts list and finds Michiru's name. Haruka presses Michiru's name, proceeds to call Michiru, and puts her phone against her ear. Michiru's phone rings.

After the third ring, Michiru answers her phone. "Hello Haruka?"

"Hey Michiru, where are you? I'm here at Jack's."

"I can't make it today. Sorry I didn't inform you beforehand."

"What? Why?"

"It's the first day of my period. The first day is always the most painful one for me." Michiru whispers.

Haruka raises her eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't be postponing our meeting without a valid reason."

"That seems legit."

"Disappointed you can't see me?"

Haruka sighs.

Michiru chuckles. "Thought so. Did you wait too long?"

"Not really. I guess I will have to charge you interest for not showing up today. You owe me a lot Michiru."

"Don't worry Haruka. I'll pay you in one way I know." Michiru says in a seductive tone.

Both of them laugh.

"I'm just kidding Michiru. I completely understand. Let's just meet some other time. I'll keep my line open."

"I'll do that."

"And uh… one more thing…"

"What?"

"Tell your period to visit some other time."

Both of them laugh.

"Well, you can go home now, Haruka. I'll call you again sometime soon. Probably this week or next week."

"I'll be waiting…"

"Sure. Bye Haruka!"

"Bye!"

Michiru hangs up. Haruka presses the 'end call' button on her phone.

* * *

At the backyard of her parents' house, Haruka, wearing a black T-shirt, brown cargo shorts, and sandals, throws a neon green Frisbee in the air. An adult brown male German Shepherd runs after the Frisbee, jumps in the air, and catches the Frisbee with its mouth. The dog, with its tail wagging, runs towards Haruka. Haruka gets the Frisbee from the dog and praises it by patting on its head. Suddenly, she feels her phone vibrating inside the right pocket of her cargo shorts. She reaches for her phone in her right pocket. Once she has gotten her phone, she looks at her phone and sees that Michiru is calling her. Haruka, holding the Frisbee with her left hand, goes inside the living room. She sits on an orange leather couch and places the neon green Frisbee on a nearby table. The dog follows her, climbs on the couch, and sits right next to her.

Haruka slides the screen of her phone. "Hello Michiru?"

"Haruka, I miss you!"

"Yeah me too. What's up?"

"Well, remember last time when I said about my plan for us to go on gigs?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm afraid our gig plan is cancelled."

"Why?"

"My friend's resto-bar only stages metal and rock bands."

"Oh. That's bad news."

"I also asked her if she has any job vacancies at her resto-bar…"

"What did she say?"

"She said there's none at the moment…"

"Well then, let's just go back to searching for full-time jobs."

"Yeah I guess that's good."

"When do you want to start?"

"Next week, Monday."

"Alright then. Where do you want us to meet up?"

"You know that McJolly's at the city?"

"The one near Jack's?"

"Yeah. That one. Let's meet there at 9AM. I promise this time, you won't get stood up."

"Really? Alright. Fine with me. How are you now?"

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"Well, I'm fine as well. As a matter of fact, I'm right here in the living room and my dog is sitting right next to me on the couch"

"Aww… that's cute."

"Wanna say hello to Shepard?"

"Shepard?"

"That's my dog's name."

"Let me guess… your dog is a German Shepherd?"

Haruka chuckles. "Yeah."

"How… creative."

"Actually I named him after the main character of one of my favorite video games."

"What video game is that?"

"Mass Effect. Do you know that game?"

Michiru giggles. "No."

"Hey Michiru, wanna say hello to Shepard?"

"Sure."

Haruka switches her phone on loudspeaker mode. "Shepard, say hello to mama."

Michiru giggles. "Hi Shepard. How's my little baby? I hope to see you soon."

With a curious look on his face, Shepard tilts his head to the left.

"_Awww…_" Haruka smiles upon seeing Shepard's adorable head tilt. She turns off the loudspeaker and puts her phone against her ear. "Michiru, I'll introduce you to Shepard the moment you visit my house. By the looks of it, I think he already likes you."

"I'll be looking forward to it. When are you planning to take me to your house?"

"Secret."

Michiru chuckles. "I can't wait to see you again Haruka."

"Me too."

"So uh… let's just see each other next week?"

"Yeah. No problem."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Haruka, who's now re-energized and inspired after hearing Michiru's voice once again, presses the "end call" button on her phone's screen and puts back her phone on the right pocket of her cargo shorts. She then gets the Frisbee from the table and walks from the living room to the backyard. Shepard follows her.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Thumbs up if you also got stood up because someone had their period! Another thumbs up if you're also the type who always shows up late for an appointment! Haha. Haruka lives an hour away from the city and too bad for her, she got caught up in a traffic jam. Lucky for her though, her meeting with Michiru did not push through. McJolly's is a portmanteau of McDonald's and Jollibee (the most famous fast food restaurant in the Philippines). I can't think of an original name for a fast food restaurant so I decided to parody those restaurants mentioned above. Jack's Sushi Corner is a fictional sushi restaurant named after me (how egotistical, hehe). Yep, Haruka still lives with her parents and so does Michiru.


End file.
